One of York’s landmark restaurants has closed for good.
Loch Fyne, on Foss Bridge, announced the news on its Instagram page this afternoon (Tuesday).
“We are sad to report Loch Fyne York has officially closed its doors as of 13th November 2023,” it said.
“We would like to thank you all for the memories and continued support during our time here in York.”
A team has already moved in to start clearing out the fixtures and fittings.
The York closure follows just two weeks after the Edinburgh branch of the seafood chain shut, proffering the exact same message.
Loch Fyne York opened on the ground floor of the former FR Stubbs ironmonger building after it was converted back in 2006.
Owned by hospitality group Greene King, the chain once had branches up and down the country.
But on its website now, only two restaurants are listed. One of them is in Portsmouth – and the other is the York branch that has just closed.
Several Loch Fynes were closed at the height of the lockdown.
Pub plan ditched
Last year, Greene King submitted plans to City of York Council to turn the Foss Bridge restaurant into a pub.
They won planning permission to remove the fish counter, install a central bar and create a Speakeasy Room in the basement.
They subsequently applied for an alcohol licence for the new bar in July 2022.
But the pub idea has also been ditched.
A spokesperson for Greene King said: “It is with sadness that we have made the difficult decision to close our York Loch Fyne restaurant.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their support over the years.
“We have explored all options to keep the business open, and even gained planning permission in 2022 to convert it into a pub, but sadly it has not been possible to go ahead with this.
“We are now consulting with our team at the restaurant and looking at opportunities we can offer them at our other pubs in the city.”
Greene King has four pubs in York city centre – the Golden Lion on Church Street, the Lendal Cellars, Ye Olde Starre Inn on Stonegate and the Windmill on Blossom Street.